The present invention relates to a board electrical connector attached to a circuit board, and an electrical connector assembly having the board electrical connector and a middle electrical connector.
A conventional electrical connector assembly comprises a middle electrical connector (middle connector) and a board electrical connector (board connector). The electrical connector assembly of Patent Reference, for example, has been known. In the Patent Reference, the middle connector is provided with a plurality of middle members having a plate shape. The middle members are supported with a housing. Further, pads or connection portions are arranged along two edge portions of the middle members facing each other.
When the middle connector fits into the board electrical connector, the contact portions of the terminals of the board connectors are connected to the pads.
Patent Reference Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-216695
The terminal of the board electrical connector is branched into two, and distal portions of the branched terminal have contact portions. The two contact portions elastically contact with the pad portions of the middle member from the both sides of the middle member.
In the assembly of the middle connector and the board connectors, even though the both connectors are fitted and somewhat displaced in a thickness direction of the middle member or receive an external force in the direction after fitting, at least one of the two contact portions of the terminals always contacts with the pad of the middle member through contact pressure. Accordingly, an electrical connection becomes stable.
Patent Reference Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-216695
In the connector assembly of Patent Reference, each of the terminals has the contact portion branched into the two sides of the middle member for connection with the pad of the middle member. Accordingly, different terminals may not be arranged on the both sides of the middle member in the same position in a terminal arrangement direction. That is, the number of the terminals of the entire connector is reduced in half.
When each of the terminals of Patent Reference is simply branched into two, it is possible to increase the number of the terminal. However, when the connectors are fitted into each other to displace in one direction in a thickness direction of the middle member or when the connectors receive external force in the direction when or after the connectors are fitted into each other, the contact pressure of the terminal of the other surface may not be enough and the contact may become unstable or may be lost even though the terminal provided on one of the surfaces of the terminal of the middle member contacts with the middle member having enough contact pressure.
Further, in the terminal of the other surface, if a displacement of the thickness direction at the fitting of the connectors faces the other direction, the contact becomes unstable or may be lost.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a board electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly having the board connector and a middle connector.
In the connectors, even though the connectors are displaced upon fitting in a thickness direction of the middle connector or the connector receives an external force in the direction after fitting, the terminal can contact with the middle member with an enough contact pressure.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.